UK Only Article:
standard article
Issue:
Trump’s America
Fly Title:
Tourism in South Africa
Rubric:
New rules are driving tourists away
Location:
JOHANNESBURG
Main image:
20150905_map502.jpg
A HOLIDAY in South Africa should be an easy sell, offering pleasures from lion-watching and diving with sharks to sipping Pinotage in front of breathtaking mountain views. With the rand at record lows, South Africa is cheerfully cheap to visit, too, for travellers with dollars or euros in their pockets. But the government’s stubborn adherence to new immigration rules is hurting tourism just when the economy needs a boost.
The new rules, which came into force in June, require minors to carry “unabridged birth certificates” when entering or leaving South Africa: an unusual requirement, since usually a passport will do. Although this is meant to prevent child-trafficking, it discourages family holidays. If children travel with only one ...